Just for a change of pace, I read Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage, said to be the first of the western novels. There was no publication date in the cheap paperback I got at the supermarket.

The year, 1871, the place, the canyonlands of southern Utah. The physical setting is the great landscape of rocks, buttes, canyons, cliffs. Grey's descriptive powers are superb. Imagine a huge thunder and lightning storm in a valley surrounded by those huge rock cliffs, the acoustics would deafen you. Another chapter was a chase sequence on horseback, that was the finest I've ever read.

The social setting was one I'd never read before: the relations between the Mormons and Gentiles. In this novel, the Mormon church authorities in the village exercised their absolute power to intimidate and harrass the Gentiles and any Mormons who defended them. Grey had nothing good to say about the Mormons.

Except for one, a young woman who had inherited her father's large ranch. She refused to obey the command to marry a church elder, and the story develops around that conflict.

His character development was darned good, this wasn't just an early version of a western comic book or movie. Yet the two principal characters weren't as interesting to me as the two secondary characters. They held my attention but I couldn't recall the names of the two main people.

Now I understand why Zane Grey was a famous writer of western fiction. I'm glad I read it. But I probably won't read it again.

Widow... I never really cared for Zane Grey. Louis L'amour was a far better author IMHO, better character development for one and more research. Try his Cherokee Trail, it has a CW connection and it is a very enjoyable book.

This is just an added little tidbit. I had always thought of Zane Grey as a purely Western writer and resident. What a surprise the first time Hubby and I traveled to the Florida Keys and lo and behold, we found out that Zane Grey spent much time in the Islamorada area of the Keys attracted there by its incomparable deep sea sport fishing. In fact, Grey has written a few books on sport fishing and freshwater fishing.

This was all a revealtion to me because I erroneously believed that another great writer and resident of the Keys, Ernest Hemingway, would be the name connected with Florida deep water sport fishing. Zane Grey is absolutely the last writer I would have associated with fishing in the Florida Keys.

There is even a restaurant named after Zane Grey at the impressive Bass Outdoor Sports store at Mile Marker 81. It has a wonderful view of the sunset.

On a tangential note, New Riders of the Purple Sage, a great early 70's group. Country rock before it was cool to be country. Country before heavy metal sent so many individuals scurying for county. If you're a dead head fan you'll enjoy them.

Doc C wrote: On a tangential note, New Riders of the Purple Sage, a great early 70's group. Country rock before it was cool to be country. Country before heavy metal sent so many individuals scurying for county. If you're a dead head fan you'll enjoy them.

Doc C

Doc, as a youngster I loved the original Riders of the Purple Sage. My favorite songs included "Blue Shadows on the Trail", "Drifting Along with the Tumbling Weeds"and "Ghost Riders in the Sky" (reworked in the Blues Brothers Two movie.) Didn't Roy Rogers sing with them once in awhile?

These days when Hubby and I go to Cracker Barrel we enjoy rocking in the porch rockers and listening to the old time country music played at the restaurant. It is so nice that Cracker Barrel often plays those old Riders of the Purple Sage songs.

Paradoxically I am a heavy metal fan, too, and even played bass guitar in a heavy metal band. Never was a Dead Head, though.

Cracker Barrel. One of my favorites. Real haut quisine. Great for breakfast. Didn't know that there was another NRPS. Really got into texas swing while in college during the early 70's - asleep at the wheel, michael murphy, willie, etc.
Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin was my mecca when i was in college. Will end my diatribe so as to not catch the wrath of the moderator.

ole wrote: My favorites were "Water" and "Streets of Laredo." Bit of trivia: Ken Curtis (? Festus) used to sing tihe riders -- or was that Sons of the Pioneers?

Ole

You know what? I may actually be confusing the two groups..."Sons of the Pioneers" and "Riders of the Purple Sage." I may have attributed songs to one group that rightfully belong to the other. I'd better do a Google search and straighten myself out on this. It has been so many years.

OK, I looked up the two groups. No wonder I am confused. Roy Rogers sang with both at one time or another, and Gene Autry sang with the "Riders." The two groups were similar. I don't think I could tell them apart just by sitting and rocking at Cracker Barrel.

Ya got me there, cleburne. I don't recollect one from another either. Wasn't "Don't Fence Me In" by the Sons? Dear One has a "Riders" cd. I'll have to check it out. Not too thrilled about playing it 'though. Lost appreciation for "Meatloaf" as well. I still like Bing Crosby if I don't have to look at him.

. I love cowboy music. Cowboys and their music is right up there with Civil War. After all the cowboys rode right out of the Civil War into the West.

Michael Martin Murphy, Dave Stamey , Curley Musgrove and Belinda Gail are some ofthe really good cowboy singers, then there is Don Edwards stands alone in how good he is . Ian Tyson from Canada and Tom Russell are also so good.

My IPod is full of this music and civil war along with all my other music.

Zane Grey was from Zanesville Ohio. right near West Virginia area. One of his first books was Betty Zane a fictional account of an ancestor.

One of his early books too was a fictional version of the Mountain Meadow Massacre. I don't remember which one . I a sorry to say I haven't read Zane Grey yet but my parents had a complete set and read them all.

I very likely read some Zane Grey way back when but retain no idea of which or what they were about. Same for the more contemporary Louie L'amour. Today, I'm more interested in Joseph Wambaugh, John Grisham and John LeCarre.

Patty one of the orginal western novel writers was Owen Wister who wrote The Virginian . This is where the line Smile when you call me that mister comes from.

Wister was the grandson of Fanny Kemble and Pierce Butler . Fanny being the grea English Actress and Butler being the largest slave holder in Georgia. There is a great book called Fanny Kemble's Civil Wars that tells that story. Fanny became an abolitionist after going with Butler to the Plantation in Georgia. Also read Fanny Kemble's Journal for more interesting observaions on America, slavery and the Civil War .

No Susan, I've not read the new Wambaugh. My withdrawal symptoms are getting intolerable so I might break down today or tomorrow and visit Barnes & Noble. I've been putting it off for austerity reasons (20 books bought in the last month), but maybe, just maybe, if I eat peanut butter sandwiches for the next week, I can justify it. (He says as he lies to himself.) I am incapable of going into B&N and buying just one book. I got it! I'll send Dear One! She can go in and buy just one.

Ole since there are two boxes from Amazon arriving this week plus the stack I got for Christmas I am not getting the Wambaough yet. It is killing me. I had the gift certificate in early December and went to get the book. It was not in print yet and since I was in Barnes and Noble . . . well let's just say the gift certificate didn't cover the cost of the pile . Now some where gifts . I bought three copies of the Gift of the Magi a new lovely edition.

Speaking of O Henry. I just read a wonderful story by him with a Civil War connection. I will have to look at the book again to see what the title was .

Well guess I had better get back to my biography of George Drouillard one of the most trusted members of Lewis and Clark's Corps . I am also reading For Cause & For Country that I got for Christmas. Too many books too little time.

Sigh. Know what you mean. Am currently struggling to reach the 25 percent level -- to have read one-quarter of the books on my shelves. These forums are a handicap. As of this minute I've been on line for 4 hours and 11 minutes. When Dear One gets home (I finagled her into going to Barnes & Noble) I will be obliged to show some reason I get to share this house with her. Doesn't leave much time for reading today.

Another handicap: I used to read quite fast -- well, a bit faster than the average. Since joining this and others, I've been checking footnotes and, when I have the cited source, checking the source. That severely cuts back the pages-per-hour rate.

Another handicap: Someone always recommends a book I feel compelled to read. Get it, maybe read it, probably add it to the stack. Rather than start another paragraph, I'll tack on another handicap to this one. In the year 10 BF (before forum) my interest was limited to battles, tactics, strategies and such. I've since had to read biographies, the Federalist Papers, homefront studies, diaries and all kinds of things I wouldn't have bothered with back then.

Ole I can relate to all the reasons you gave. I too have stacks to read , I not only buy books but our Round table has a book raffle each month to raise money for preservation. I seem to come home with a book most months . Then there is the book discussion group at the Drum and usually that book has to be read that month. I am skipping the book this month. It is by an author name Jaffa. He is very dense .. I read the first book by him we had on the reading list. I swear I had headaches every night and had every dictionary and reference book I own out on the table next to me to look up reference. This one is on the Lincoln Douglas Debate. I am sure it is a good book but I am more a social historian than a political one. I like to read the biographies the most, then diaries or personal narratives, then tthe battle narratives . I like to read the biographies of the politicians but not so much the detail discussions . I also get distracted by Western History . I am first and foremost a Westerner. I was born and raised in California by my father born in Idaho and at one time a cowboy, and a mother from Oklahoma with very southern roots but Oklahoma is also a Western State in so many ways

My college years and for many years after my reading in History was all Medieval and Rennaissance Englis history. Everyonce in a while one of those books calls me too.

Then there is my abosolute addiction to several msytery authors and their detectives. I guess I could have worse addictions .

I found my O.Henry book . The Book is called 41 Stories by O. Henry, catchy title huh? Signet Classics. There is a whole chapter of stories on Confederates in the book .The Rose of Dixie is outstanding as is a really funny story Two Renagades. I always forget how well O. Henry wrote til I read another story by him. The Gift of the Magi is of course the classic story and it is so well known you forget how well written it is . Usually now you find it in the Children's section as a picture book.

Last year i read some of his Wild West stories including a Western Christmas story . That is what led me to get this book. By the way the clerk had no idea who he was and led me finally to the O. Henry Short winners of the year book. I politely told her that is not O. Henry's writing but people who were given an award for being outstanding writers LIKE O.Henry. I ended up at a lovely second hand bookstore (read a jumble of books and boxes but organized too. She not only knew who he was she send me down an aisle where I had my choice of books. They each had wood block prints to illustrate the stories. I found the story I was looking for . Also found the Civil War section and California history section . I left with an arm load.. I am not to be trusted in a bookstore.

Susan, oh, I do know what you mean about going to the bookstore. Whenever I drive along the street past Borders Books, my car automatically turns in. Even when I went Christmas shopping there, I ended up with several for myself.

I'm spending my old-age savings on books. So I have two choices: live until I'm 200 years old, in order to read them all, or die soon in order to have enough money left.

I can't imagine reading a book online. How can I curl up in bed or stretch out on a recliner with a PC and monitor? (No laptop here.) Besides, I always take a book when I go out. I never know when I might have to wait for something somewhere, so I just whip it out and get in a few more pages.

Some people find audio books satisfying while they drive. I don't have a CD player in my car. Besides, I like the FEEL of a book in my hand. If I need to leaf back to find a paragraph, I generally remember whether it's on the left or right page, top half or bottom. Can't do that with audio. Also, I read faster than the book reader on the audio version. I would go nuts waiting for the reader to move on, hurry up please.